Exploring Charleston with Fujifilm GFX100RF
Last month, I got a generic brown box in the mail with a not-so-generic camera wrapped in plastic. But there was no instruction manual. No battery charger. No note telling me anything. Just a return mailing slip to send it to photographer Alison Conklin one week later.
As a Fujifilm ambassador, I thought I knew what the camera probably was. But I didn’t know much about it, other than what I read on the Fuji Rumors website like everyone else. My first thought was: this thing looks coooool. It was boxy (I love old Volvos too), and small. Especially the lens. The first thing I did was see if it could fit in the pocket of my Holdfast Quiver bag, which I take everywhere with me. If it didn’t fit in that bag, I probably wouldn’t want to carry it around all the time. But it does. And for one week, I took it everywhere.
The week I got it was lucky. If it had been one week later (Alison’s week), I would have been at the Foundation Workshops in Kansas, and unable to bring the camera (because all the other photographers would notice it, and I was under an NDA). But here in Charleston, no one said a thing, except the James Beard award-winning chef Sean Brock. We just happened to go to his new restaurant when he was there, and when he walked to our table, he spotted the camera and just about jumped out of his shoes. “WHAT IS THAT CAMERA?” he asked. I put my hand over it, and said “I’m sorry man, but I can’t tell you.” Sean is a photographer himself, and a big Fujifilm XPro fan. So his gut said to him what mine said to me: this camera is special. After I asked Sean to sign a model release and NDA, I took some photos of him and promised to explain it all once everything was released. So Sean, here you go.
F4 and be there
Before it arrived, I was thinking how in the world would I ever work with a camera that only has an f4 lens? I usually work with 1.4 lenses at 1.4, all the time. And then it dawned on me that I would just have to think of it differently, and work with it like a film camera, but in reverse. Instead of using a faster aperture in low light like I did with film and being limited to 1600 or 3200 ISO (at max), I’d have to bump up the ISO like only a modern digital camera can do. I’m not scared of 8000 ISO. And because most of my favorite photos don’t happen in the middle of the day, I got really used to 3200 ISO and above. And that sensor looks great at every ISO I used. It also forced me to use slower shutter speeds, which is an amazing challenge and something I try to practice a lot. And it helps the camera has a leaf shutter, so even though it doesn’t have image stabilization, I had no problem at 1/15th of a second.
The week was mostly spent photographing my life with my wife, Erin, daughter, Roxy, some of my best friends and some real, paying clients. Our longtime friends Sam and Pari happened to be visiting us from Denver that week, so that gave me an excuse to get out of the studio and play tour guide around the city. And for the lifestyle photos of the camera, I once again relied on my buddy (and commercial photographer) Clint Davis to be my model. A lot of the photos I took of him and all the locations were his ideas. It helps to work with people who know what they are doing visually.
And the last photos I took were of Roxy’s dance teacher Colette and her fiancé Jack out on the beach. I can’t remember the last time I photographed an engagement session with only a wide-angle lens, and I loved that freedom. I felt like myself, not relying on an 85 to get just pretty, clean photos, but using the environment to give the people space. Limitations can give you more creativity, and I certainly felt that with this camera. Erin said when Colette saw the photos, she told her they were the best photos they’ve ever had of themselves. That made me feel good about trusting my instincts with what I can do with less gear.
The Dials
One thing that is completely new about the GFX100RF are some of the dials. And I love them. From changing the aspect ratios, to cropping from 28mm to 35 mm and tighter, you have so many options for different types of photos. And with that sensor, square or panoramic photos are still huge. Where I mostly lived though was with the full 28-mm crop, but with the extra height, it doesn’t feel too wide. It’s just fun to use.
Who is this camera for?
I’ve thought about this a lot. If you’re a working professional, it’s not your only camera. Even though you can crop in pretty tight, you still need a camera that has interchangeable lenses. The autofocus is plenty quick though. So if you wanted to photograph kids running around a park, or a bride walking up the aisle, you could. But I think the real joy of this camera is taking it with you every day, everywhere. So that opens up this camera to everyone, as long as you can afford it. It’s not cheap, but it has value at just under $5K. So you Leica photographers can give this a look, and also save some money. All you Sony users, you will fall in love with photography again in a new way. Nikon and Canon people, this would be the camera you’d want as your fun camera that doesn’t weigh you down. And for the Fujifilm photographers, I would go for this, an x100 (if you can find it), or an XPro3. All of them are more or less the same size with a lens on, and all equally great to work with.
Final thoughts
When I test something, the first thing I ask myself when it’s gone is “do I miss it?” With the GFX100RF, that answer is absolutely yes. I miss having the challenge of working with a camera that slows me down, but is fast enough to also keep up. I miss that boxiness. I miss having a camera so small but with a sensor that’s so big. I love my GFX100s, but I don’t carry that around with me. That stays in the studio. But that 100RF? That belongs on someone’s shoulder, all the time. So for those of you who have the chance to pick one up, don’t hesitate. This camera is rad.
